Door closer latch



June 22, 1965 P. LEE

DOOR CLOSER LATCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 51, l92

Pcnrick Lee INVENTOR.

11 s; BY {Karl g.

FIG.2

AGENT- June 22, 1965 LEE DOOR CLOSER LATCH Filed May 51, l92

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patrick Lee INVENTOR.

K r 6R0 AGENT.

United States Patent 3,189,936 DOQR CLQSER LATCH Patrick Lee, Woodsidc, N.Y., assignor of onehalf to Patrick Mc'ieruan, Astoria, FLY. Filed May 3.1, H62, her. No. 199,125 4 Claims. (til. 16-32) My present invention relates to a hold-open latch for door closers and analogous means for the controlled opening and closing of swingable panel members other than doors, e.g. windows.

Conventional door closers, in which a spring-urged arm is swingably mounted on a dashpot-controlled shaft on one of two relatively movable members, e.g. a door, while being linked via an articulated rod with the other member, e.g. a frame, are designed to permit realtively rapid opening of the door followed by automatic closure at a slow rate. If it is desired to hold the door in open position, the door check must be deactivated by the turning of a screw or similar manipulation unless a separate door stop is provided for this purpose on the door or is wedged in between the door and the door.

The general object of this invention is to provide a hold open latch for a door closer or analogous device by which the latter can be blocked in simple manner, without the use of any special stops, if it is desired to keep the door open.

A related object is to provide a latch of this type enabling ready restarting of the automatic closure operation when needed, again without extensive manipulation.

A more particular object of my invention is to provide latch means enabling a door closer or similar device to function in the conventional manner up to a certain angle of opening, mechanism being provided for holding the door (or other controlled panel member) open when this angle is slightly exceeded and for restoring the device to normal operation, thus enabling closure, upon a further opening of the door beyond the holding position.

It is also an object of this invention to provide convenient means for temporarily disabling the aforementioned mechanism whenever the holding feature is not to be used.

In accordance with the invention I provide, in col bination with an automatic closing device of the conventional door-closer type having an arm reciprocable along an edge of a controlled member, a latch normally urged (egg. by a spring) into a position in which an arrnengaging formation thereof projects beyond that edge to arrest the swingable arm in an intermediate posit-ion of the conrtolled member relative to the co-operating member to which the arm is articulated, and a guard element movably secured to the latch for engagement by the swingable arm upon a sweep thereof along the edge beyond such intermediate position, the guard element having a camming edge which upon the return sweep of the arm guides it past the arm-engaging formation by displacing the latch from its normal position against its restoring force.

The invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a door-and-frame assembly provided with a door closer in combination with a latching mechanism according to the invention;

FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 are elevational views of the latching mechanism of FIG. 1 in different operating positions; and

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional View taken along line V-V of FIG. 4.

The door closer shown in the drawing, generally designated 10, comprises the usual dashpot housing 11 with the base 12, spring-loaded shaft 13, swingable horizontal arm 14 secured to this shaft, and rod 15 articulated at 16 to arm 14. Base 12 is secured to one of two relatively swingable members, i.e. a door 17, while the rod 15 has a fulcrum 18 carried on the other one of these members, namely the lintel of a frame 19 to which the door 17 is hinged at 20. Arm 14 has secured to it a bracket 21 swingable with it across the upper edge of door 17.

The holding mechanism co-operating with the arm 14 in accordince with the present invention comprises a mounting plate 22 which is fastened to the door 17 close to its upper edge in the region of base 12. A banshaped latch 23 is pivoted to plate 22 at 24 and is yieldably maintained in its normal horizontal position, just above the door edge, by a dog 25 which is swingable on plate 22 about a pin 26 and is urged counterclockwise by a tension spring 27 anchored to that plate. Dog 25 has two contact edges 25a, 25b of which the former engages the underside of latch 23 in its normal position (FIG. 2) whereas the latter bears upon it in a withdrawn position (FIG. 4). The upper edge of latch 23 is recessed to form an arm-engaging forward shoulder 23a and an opposite rear shoulder 23b both normally protruding above plate 22 and door 17; the latch bar 23 is also formed with an arouate cutout 230 at its underside and with a forward camming edge 23d. A generally trapezoidal guard element 28 is pivotable about a stud 29 on latch 23 and is normally positioned just to the rear of shoulder 23a as seen in FIG. 2; an inbent tongue 28a limits the rocking movement of element 28 relative to latch 23 by abutting either its straight lower edge or the cutout 23c thereof. Element 28 also has a straight fonward flank 28b and a sloping rear flank 280 which converge at an acute angle in a tip 28d normally rising above shoulder 23a as seen in FIGS. 2 and 4.

A chain 36 depends from latch 23 and carries a ring 31 adapted to be hooked onto a suitable detent, such as a nail 32, at some convenient location on the door 17 in order to withdraw the latch from its operative position, as has been illustrated in FIG. 4. it will be noted that edge 25b of dog 25, resiliently bearing upon the underside of latch bar 23, indexes the latch in its position of Withdrawal, this position being however unstable so that the latch returns to normal upon release of the detent 3d.

The operation of my improved hold-open latch for the door closer it) will now be described with particular reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 shows, in solid lines, the bracket 21 of arm 14 approaching the forward edge 23d of latch bar 2?: as the door 17 (FIG. 1) is swung out of its frame lfi into an intermediate position. Further opening movement of the door displaces the bracket 21 toward the left with a resulting slight depression of camming edge 2.3a, causing the latch to swing clockwise about its pivot 24 and then to return under the action of spring 27 to its original position when the bracket 21 has cleared the shoulder 23a and pushes back the tip 2nd of trapezoidal guard element 28 as shown in dot-dash lines in FIG. 2. If the door is not opened to any substantial extent beyond this dot-dash position, the element 28 remains inoperative and the subsequent rightward swing of arm 14 under the action of its conventional restoring spring (not shown) in housing 11 will be arrested by the shoulder 23a so that the door is held open.

When it is now desired to close the door, the latter is momentarily opened wider whereby the bracket 21, bearing upon flank 28b now facing it, rocks the guard element 28 about its fulcrum 29 in the counterclockwise direction as illustrated in solid lines in PEG. 3. The tip 23d of element 2% still projects upwardly into the path of the bracket when further counterclockwise rotation is prevented by the tongue 23a engaging the boundary of cutout 23c, hence further leftward movement of the bracket again depresses the latch 23 against the force of spring 27 which returns it to normal as soon as the bracket 21 has cleared this tip 23d. When the door is now released or forcibly closed, the reverse motion of bracket 21 occurs along the camrning edge 280 of element 28 whereby the latter, and with it the latch 23, is once more depressed so that bracket 21 rides without hindrance across the shoulder 23a which at this point is shielded by the guard element 28 as has been illustrated in FIG. 4.

The opening of the door, i.e. the forward sweep of arm 14, is limited by the engagement of bracket 21 with shoulder 23b.

it will be apparent that the relationship shown in the drawing could be reversed by a mounting of the closer check it) on the stationary member 19 rather than the movable member 17, with the arm 14 sweeping along the lower edge of the lintel of frame 19, and other modifications or adaptations may be carried out in the particular assembly described and illustrated Without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

1 claim:

1. A system for the control of a door hinged to a frame, comprising a mounting on said door adjacent its upper edge, a shaft projecting upwardly from said mounting, a substantially horizontal arm on said shaft, link means forming an articulated connection from said arm to said frame, said arm being positioned to sweep along said upper edge upon the opening of said door, means on said mounting coupled with said shaft for automatically returning said arm at a controlled rate into a doorclosing position, a latch bar swingably mounted on said door adjacent said upper edge, said bar being provided with a first arm-engaging shoulder limiting the sweep of of said first shoulder adapted to block the return sweep of said arm in an intermediate position of said door, said bar further having a sloping front edge depressible by said arm, said oar normally occupying a position parallel to said upper edge with said shoulders projecting into the path of said arm, restoring means yieldably tending to maintain said bar in said parallel position, and a guard element fulcrurned on said bar adjacent said second shoulder for engagement by said arm upon a forward sweep thereof beyond said intermediate position, said element having a carnming edge effective to guide said arm past said second shoulder upon the return sweep thereof through said intermediate position to a closure position.

2. A system as defined in claim 1, further comprising detent means for releasably maintaining said bar in a withdrawn position against the force of said restoring means, said second shoulder being retracted from the path of said arm in said withdrawn position.

3. A. system as defined in claim 2 wherein said restoring means comprises a spring, said :detent means including said spring for yieldably indexing said bar in said withdrawn position.

4. A system as defined in claim 3 wherein said means for indexing comprises a dog coupled with said spring and fulcrumed on said door, said dog having two contact edges alternately engageable with a lower edge of said bar in said parallel position and said withdrawn position, respectively.

References Cited by the Examiner UNlTED STATES PATENTS 1,370,976 3/21 Knowlson et a1 292-274 1,519,521 12/24 Weber 1665 1,777,672 10/39 Hurd 16-65 1,896,363 2/33 Johnson 292-99 2,177,275 10/39 Bird 292225 DONLEY I. STOSKIN G, Primary Examiner. 

1. A SYSTEM FOR THE CONTROL OF A DOOR HINGED TO A FRAME, COMPRISING A MOUNTING ON SAID DOOR ADJACENT ITS UPPER EDGE, A SHAFT PROJECTING UPWARDLY FROM SAID MOUNTING, A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL ARM ON SAID SHAFT, LINK MEANS FORMING AN ARTICULATED CONNECTION FROM SAID ARM TO SAID FRAME, SAID ARM BEING POSITIONED TO SWEEP ALONG SAID UPPER EDGE UPON THE OPENING OF SAID DOOR, MEANS ON SAID MOUNTING COUPLED WITH SAID SHAFT FOR AUTOMATICALLY RETURNING SAID ARM AT A CONTROLLED RATE INTO A DOORCLOSING POSITION, A LATCH BAR SWINGABLY MOUNTED ON SAID DOOR ADJACENT SAID UPPER EDGE, SAID BAR BEING PROVIDED WITH A FIRST ARM-ENGAGING SHOULDER LIMITING THE SWEEP OF SAID ARM AND WITH A SECOND ARM-ENGAGING SHOULDER AHEAD OF SAID FIRST SHOULDER ADAPTED TO BLOCK THE RETURN SWEEP OF SAID ARM IN AN INTERMEDIATE POSITION OF SAID DOOR, SAID BAR FURTHER HAVING A SLOPING FRONT EDGE DEPRESSIBLE BY SAID ARM, SAID BAR NORMALLY OCCUPYING A POSITION PARALLEL TO SAID UPPER EDGE WITH SAID SHOULDERS PROJECTING INTO 